Our Work
APDM operates several programs designed to strengthen the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, their attorneys and staff, as well as more thoroughly meet the needs of the clients that they serve.
Uplifting Youth Project
In collaboration with CareFirst and OPD, APDM works to increase access to services and improve wellness for justice-involved youth in Prince George’s County through screening, assessment, planning, ongoing support, and referrals to appropriate behavioral health treatment and community-based services.
Career Development Fund
To ensure that Maryland public defenders remain abreast of new and emerging reforms and best practices, APDM provides scholarships for OPD attorneys, social workers, and staff to pursue outside professional development opportunities, attend conferences, specialized trainings, and workshops.
Pauli Murray Diversity Leadership Initiative
Recognizing the critical importance of racial and ethnic diversity to a public defender’s office whose clients are primarily people of color, APDM seeks to expand the pipeline of attorneys from groups traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession and to strengthen the cultural competencies of the next generation of legal service providers.
Children's Defense Intervention Project
Decarceration Initiative
Maryland Justice Partnership
APDM manages philanthropic support for the OPD's Maryland Justice Partnership (MJP), which brings together agency leaders, community partners, academics, and people with lived experience to drive measurable criminal justice reform across Maryland. With the state holding the highest racial incarceration disparity in the nation, the MJP is built to turn recommendations into real, accountable change.
